Cherry rootstock GI 195/1

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of cherry rootstock, which has been given the designation GI 195/1 produces a tree which is generally spreading and which upon grafting produces a dwarf tree.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to cherry trees and more specifically to a new and distinct variety of cherry hybrid tree which is particularly useful as a rootstock.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of cherry hybrid trees as rootstock is known in the art of producing cherry trees. One such variety is F12/1, a vegetatively propagated P. avium-selection. Cherry rootstock varieties GI 148/1 and GI 148/8 are described in U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 8,852 and 8,954 respectively. The use of cherry hybrid varieities as rootstock produces a dwarf tree that comes into earlier and heavier bearing without sacrificing fruit size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new and distinct cultivar of cherry rootstock, which has been given the designation of GI 195/1 produces a tree which is generally spreading and which upon grafting produces a dwarf tree.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a branch and dormant lateral buds, bark and lenticels of GI 195/1.

FIG. 2 illustrates GI 195/1 flowers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The new and distinct variety of cherry hybrid tree of the present invention was bred by the inventors as a cross of Prunus canescens×Prunus cerasus cv. "Leitzkauer" in Giessen, Germany. It has been successfully asexually propagated by softwood cuttings at the University of Giessen in Giessen, Germany, and has been observed to remain true to the descrition set forth herein.

GI 195/1 as used as a rootstock for sweet cherry trees induces dwarfing to a significant degree. Precocity, high production of fruit and yield efficiency, good fruit size and no or very few suckers were induced. GI 195/1 as a rootstock confers earlier and heavier bearing to the scion as compared to F12/1 clonal cherry rootstock. In one trial, it induced a yield in the variety "Hedelfinger" in the 5th leaf of 3.3 kg/tree (cf. F12/1:0.2 kg/tree) and in the 7th leaf of 3.2 kg/tree (cf. F12/1:0.2 kg/tree) and in the 7th leaf of 3.2 kg/tree (cf. F12/1:5.7 kg/tree). As a mean of seven years, 100-fruit-weight of "Hedelfinger" grafted on 195/1 was 745 grams, while 100-fruit-weight of "Hedelfinger" grafted on F12/1 was 735 grams.

GI 195/1 itself is of medium vigor, has a broad bushy growth habit and a high frosthardiness. After eight growing seasons near Giessen, Germany, GI 195/1 demonstrated a height of 3.7 meters and a width of 4.15 meters.

The following varieties of sweet and sour cherries have been successfully grafted onto GI 195/1: Hedelfinger, "Buttners Rote Knorpel, Grosse Schwarze Knorpel, Van, Glory, Bind and Montmorency. No graft incompability is presently known.

Ploidy of 195/1 is probably triploid (2n=3x). The ploidy status of the parents has been investigated by isoenzyme analysis and is tetraploid (2n=4x) for the father plant=Prunus cerasus, cv "Leitzkauer", and diploid (2n=2x) for the mother plant, Prunus canescens.

Leaves:

Overall shape.--Obvate.

Apex shape.--Acute to slightly acuminate.

Base shape.--Rounded, slightly acuminate.

Leaf serration.--Doubly serrate leaf margin.

Veination.--Pinnate, 9-10 veins, mainly alternate.

Stipules.--Base of petiole, mainly without.

Glands.--Slightly rounded, mainly two at base of blade.

Pubescence.--Glabrous on adaxial surface (top), slightly pubescent on abaxil surface mostly along veins.

Color.--Light green.

Leaf dimensions at 5th and 9th leaf:

    ______________________________________                                                          5th leaf                                                                             9th leaf                                                ______________________________________                                         Mean length of leaves                                                                             66      65                                                  Mean width of leaves                                                                              40      40                                                  Mean length of petioles                                                                           10      7                                                   ______________________________________                                    

Branches: Buds alternate on branch, cream-colored lenticels, diameter 0.5 mm on 1 year-old branches.

Color of 2-year old branch.--Greyed orange, Fan 4, 177 B (R.H.S. Color Chart).

Branch dimensions: (For a single GI 195/1 plant in the ungrafted condition after the 5th leaf; in brackets, comparable data for F12/1).

Mean length of 1-year-old branches.--12.4 cm (19.8 cm).

Mean length of 2-year-old branches.--32.2 cm (35.0 cm).

Mean length of 3-year-old branches.--44.8 cm (63.2 cm).

Mean diameter of 1-year-old branches.--7.0 mm (3.4 mm).

Mean diameter of 2-year-old branches.--2.6 mm (5.8 mm).

Mean diameter of 3-year-old branches.--5.0 mm (10.1 mm).

Mean no. of branches from 2-year-old branches.--0.8 (0.7).

Mean no. of branches from 3-year-old branches.--5.4 (2.4).

Mean no. of nodes of 2-year-old branches.--10.8 (15.3).

Mean no. of nodes of 3-year-old branches.--17.6 (22.4).

Mean angle of 3-year-old branches.--55.0 (59.7).

Mean angle of 4-year-old branches.--47.8 (58.3).

Buds: Conical, acute, adpressed, 5-7 mm long, prominent leaf scar.

Flowers:

Flowering.--Flowers in the 2nd year.

Abundance.--Abundant starting from the 3rd year.

Petal color.--White.

Petal shape.--Almost round.

Petal length/width ratio.--About 1:1.

Bloom:

Begin of bloom.--Late.

Overall vigor:

Ungrafted.--Medium to vigorous.

Suckers.--None.

Survey of growth data: Growth of one ungrafted clone, 60 kilometers south of Giesen, Germany after 5th and 9th leaf is shown in Table 1 below.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                                         5th leaf                                                                             9th leaf                                                 ______________________________________                                         Height (cm)       230     370                                                  Width (cm)        185     380                                                  Depth (cm)                450                                                  Fresh weight (kg)         41.5                                                 ______________________________________                                    

A Crown-silhouette comparison of GI 195/1 and F12/1 (m2)=height×(width+depth)/2 is shown in Table 2.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                                          GI 195/1                                                                              F12/1                                                  ______________________________________                                         After 4 years in orchard:                                                                         3.80     7.70                                               After 6 years in orchard:                                                                         7.78     14.30                                              ______________________________________                                    

Enzyme polymorphism of GI 195/1: (Studied by horizontal starch gel electrophoresis of leaf tissue of 8 loci.) is shown in Table 3.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Aconitase-2             22                                                     Alkoholdehydrogenase-1  112                                                    Isocitratdehydrogenase-2                                                                               122                                                    Leucinaminopeptisase-1  33                                                     5-Phosphogluconat-Dehydrogenase-1                                                                      11H                                                    6-Phosphogluconat-Dehydrogenase-2                                                                      112                                                    Phophoglucose-Isomerase-2                                                                              124                                                    Phosphoglucomutase-2    25                                                     ______________________________________                                     

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of cherry hybrid tree as shown and described herein. 